St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-26
ENGLISH SEA BIRDS.
Various Kinds Of Fowl and the Snper-
stitions Concerning Them.
HOW POETS SPEAK OF THEM
Their Varied Peeuliarities, Which Are
Depended Upon by Sailors as
Weather Predictions.

sf ES& a wildneSS of the scene.
NG!xSAs. SSVA Few can mistake the
M.1Tsng movements of the
& \tSssY = bold, daring bird:
and, considering its
~ knowing and clever
nature, it is matter for surprise that
the word gulf should have been en-
plOyed so long to express stupidity, says
the London Evening Standard. Any
how, the term was in use in Shakes
peare's day, for in Twelfth Night
w., II MalvOliO asks:
Why have YOU suffered me to be imprisond,
Kept in dark house, visited by the priest,
And made the most notorious geek and gull
That e'er invention played on?
The sea gull has from time immemo-
rial been regarded as furnishing an i'll
dicatiOn of the weather, and an old piece
of weather lore informs us that rain and
high winds from the SOuth-SOuthWeSt
follow the appearance Of sea gulls. LII
Scotland there is a popular notion that
the appearance of this bird Sin the
fields means a southeast storm: when it
is over they 90 back to the beach"
And according to a well-knOWn Scotch
rhyme:
Sea gull. sea-gull sit on the sand,
Its never good weather when you're On the
land.
For many miles, writes Mr.. Wood,
this bird will follow boats so closely
that the very sparkle of its eyes is
plainly visible as it twists its wise-l00k
ing head from side to side while watch
ing the yoyagers," whilst a curious SUI
perstitisn tells us that the Sea-gull was
never seen weeping:
The stricken sea-mew dives, that none may
see her bleed
On many of our coasts may be seen
the cOrmOrant. black-feathered bird
with green eyes. As far back as the
time of Virgil this bird was looked upon
as weather prophet:
When crying cormOrants forsake the sea,
And stretching TO the coast Wend their way:
When watchful herOns leave their watery
stand
wet weather may be expected. The
proyprbial vOracity of this bird gave
rise to a man of large appetite being
likened to it, a sense in which Shake
Speare uses the word, as in Loves
Labor Lost Ii. y. "COrmOrant devOur-
ing time" Formerly the cOrmOTant
was much employed in this country for
catching fish, practice still kept up in
China. James l., it may be remem-
bered, made fishing with cOrmorantS
fashionable amusement. Then there is
the common tern. or sea swallow. with
its rapid, darting flight. 1t was sup
posed by our Northern fishermen to be
the welcome harbinger of good luck.
and hence its appearance was similarly
appreciated by the sagaS of the Morse
vikings:
Now let the steed Of ocean bound
Ger the North sea. with dashing sound;
Let nimble tern and screaming gull
Fly round and round, our net is full
Pennant speaks of the aux as ga bird
observed by Seamen never to wander
beyond SOundingS. and according to its
appearance they direct their measures.
being assured that land is not very re-
NOTE But foremost among the
birds that warned the sailor of the near
approach of danger was the petrol, the
belief in their Ominous appearance hay
ing probably originated in their being
seen when perhaps as much as LOCO
miles from land, apparently untired and
seldom resting or eating. The popular
nickname of 'NIather Carey'S chicken"
means the bird of the Mater Cara. the
Avis Sanct3 Marie or the Oiseau de
NOtre Dame of French sailors. Barry
Cornwall thus graphically describes
its StOrm-forbOding character:
Ger the deep. Ger the deep.
Where the whale and the shark and the
SWOTd-fish sleep.
Outlying the blast and the driving rain,
The petrol telleth her tale in vain
For the mariner curSeth the warning bird.
Who bringeth him news of storms he heard.
All, thus does the prophet of good or i'll
Meet hate from the creatures he serveth still /;
Yet he ne'er falters so. petrol, spring
Once more Ger the waves on thy strong wing
Fishermen in the English channel dis
like the curlew, for they say that the
east wind is caused by the flight of
these birds. Thus auckland, in his
"CuriOSitieS of Natural History" tells
us how an old fisherman one day said to
him: Il think no good of them.
There's always an accident when they
come. / heard 'em once one dark
night last winter. They came DER our
heads all of a sudden, singing 'ewe.
ewe.' and the men in the boat
wished to 60 back 1t came OH to rain
and blow, and was an awful night, and.
sure enough. before morning boat was
upset and seven poor fellows drowned.
know what made the noise, sir, it's
them long-billed cUTlewS. but | never
likes to hear them" Smyth. in his
"Sail0r's Word Book" says that sea
bird called the lazy was thought to in
dictate the weather by its motions, and
was consequently carefully watched by
HebriGeS islanders.
4 bird which has from time imme-
mortal been regarded by the Seafaring
community with SuperStitiOuS reverence
and fondneSS is the albatroSs. 1t is re-
markable for the extent of its migra-
tons, and. indeed. writes Mr.. Jones in
his ''CreduitieS Past and Present." 1T
may also be said to pass from pole to
pole. and is seen at a greater distance
from land than any other bird" Hence,
it has generally been regarded as fav-
orable omen, and Coleridge, in his AN
cient Mariner" thus alludeS to it:
At length did cross an albatross,
Through the fog II came.
As if it had been Christian soul,
We hailed il i'll Gods name.
And good south wind sprung up behind,
The albatrosS did follow.
Few sailors, therefore. Will allow an
albatrOss to be killed for fear of i'll luck
and it was on this account the "Ancient
Mariners" misfortune arose: for ''all
| averred | had killed the bird that
brought the fog and mist" Again, the
osprey. which frequents in such num-
| beers the North American shores. is al
ways hailed by the fishermen with de-
! light as being the harbinger of success.
| Wilson. the great American Ornitholo-
gistrefers to this bird in his we'll known
| "Fisherman's Hymns"
| The osprey sails above the sound,
The geese are gone. the gulls are flying:
/ The herring shoals swarm thick around.
The nets are launched. the boats are ply
ing,
70. yo, my hearts! Let's seek the deep
Raise high the song, and CHEEKY wish her.
] Still as the bending net we sweep.
God bless the fsh-hawk and the fisher.
1t was also popularity nicknamed the
Sea-eagle, and, in addition to having a
destructive power of devouring fish. was
supposed formerly to have fascinating
influence. both of which qualities are
probably referred to by Shakespearins
''Corioianus." Il think he'll be to ROem